KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The King University men's swimming team finished third at the Conference Carolinas Swimming Championships over the weekend. One school record fell on Friday while a pair of personal records fell throughout the week.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: 3rd of 6
LOCATION: Kingsport Aquatic Center; Kingsport, Tenn.
HOW IT HAPPENED - SATURDAY
- Maximillian Thomas finished seventh in the 200 yard backstroke with a time of 1:57.07.
- In the 100 yard freestyle final, Haakon Meyer finished ninth with a time of 47.61 seconds and Gideon Bezuidenhout took 11 with a time of 48.21 seconds.
- Carson Eliasen finished seventh in the 200 yard breaststroke finals with a time of 2:12.02.
- Dale Bruce posted an all-conference finish in the 200 yard butterfly with a time of 1:53.55.
- Also in the 200 yard butterfly final, Radu Magdas finished 11th at 2:05.91 and Austin Bynum took 12th at 2:25.37.
- The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Jan Kuljak, Bezuidenhout, Meyer and Thomas took third with a time of 3:08.24.
- Kuljak took fifth in the 1650 yard freestyle with a tiem of 16:43.61.
HOW IT HAPPENED - FRIDAY
- The Tornado started the day off by taking a podium spot in the 200 yard medley relay. The team of Thomas, Eliasen, Bruce and Meyer posted a time of 1:37.41.
- In the 400 yard individual medley, Magdas touched the wall after 4:20.53 to finish eighth.
- Bruce was crowned the Conference Carolinas champion in the 100 yard butterfly after finishing with a time of 50.58. Bynum and Ben Ramirez took 13th and 14th in the same event with times of 59.58 and 1:00.80, respectively.
- Kuljak finished as the runner-up in the 200 freestyle with a final time of 1:40.89. Bezuidenhout also secured a podium spot with his time of 1:44.09 to place fifth.
- Eliasen picked up his second podium finish of the day, touching the wall in 59.59 in the 100 yard breaststroke.
- Thomas and Meyer captured sixth and seventh place in the 100 yard backstroke with times of 53.05 and 53.25 seconds.
- The team of Kuljak, Bezuidenhout, Magdas and Bruce concluded the second day of the event in the 800 yard freestyle relay with a time of 6:57.36 to secure the runner-up position.
HOW IT HAPPENED - THURSDAY
- Kuljak, Bezuidenhout and Eliasen both qualified for the finals of the 500 yard freestyle.
- Kuljak took a podium finish, taking fifth with a finals time of 4:40.37 while Bezuidenhout came in eighth with a time of 4:57.06.
- Eliasen finished 16th with a time of 5:13.43.
- In the 200 yard individual medley, Bruce and Magdas qualified for the finals.
- Bruce earned a podium finish, taking fourth as he touched the wall in 1:55.27.
- Magdas finished in 2:01.98 to take eighth.
- Thomas and Meyer both qualified for the finals in the 50 yard freestyle. Thomas touched the wall in 21.89 seconds to take eighth while Meyer finished 13th with a time of 22.16 seconds.
- The 400 yard medley relay team of Thomas, Bruce, Bezuidenhout and Kuljak took a runner-up finish with a time of 3:29.36.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 400 freestyle relay team set a school record with a time of 3:08.24.
- Kuljak set a personal record with a 100 freestyle time of 46.61 seconds.
- Magdas set a personal best with a 200 yard butterfly time of 2:01.61.
FOR THE FOES
- Emmanuel College won the event while Barton College finished second.
QUOTABLE
"We had a great all around team effort this meet, and really competed well, posting many best times and team records throughout the meet. I am extremely proud of this group their resilience, humility and hard work throughout the season. We truly came together as one team, and made some great memories. Our faith both individually and collectively continues to grow and set the foundation for a winning culture. Go Tornado!"
- King University head swimming coach James Graves
UP NEXT
- The NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships are scheduled for March 17-20 in Birmingham, Ala.
